Elements and Performance Criteria
- Assess radiation protection and safety requirements
- Review relevant radiation protection and safety legislation, standards, codes and guidelines to confirm radiation protection and safety requirements applicable to a particular site.
- Review relevant available records and information about hazards due to radioactive materials, equipment and work activities conducted at the site.
- Identify known and potential hazards associated with current and future radiation-related work activities.
- Identify appropriate radiation instruments, monitoring equipment and measuring/survey procedures to quantify hazards.
- Quantify ionising radiation hazards and anticipated exposure/dose, and compare results with relevant limits.
- Review available information about relevant radiation control measures, safety procedures, radiation monitoring programs and personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Determine if specific work areas need to be controlled more effectively.
- Undertake risk analysis for local site specific to radiation related activity.
- Develop or revise local radiation management plans
- Review the local procedures for developing or revising radiation protection policy, procedures and plans.
- Identify local compliance against radiation safety requirements, including organisational policy and approach.
- Design or amend local radiation management plans to control and monitor all radiation-related work activities to comply with regulator requirements.
- Identify possible impacts of new or revised local radiation management plans on relevant organisational policies, procedures and systems, and advise relevant personnel.
- Forward draft local radiation management plans for feedback and approval in accordance with organisational and regulator's procedures.
- Distribute authorised local radiation management plans to relevant personnel and confirm they understand their roles and responsibilities.
- Design key performance indicators for radiation safety performance measurement.
- Negotiate targets for radiation safety key performance indicators in line with organisational plan.
- Develop and implement quantitative risk management and risk assessment tools for radiation.
- Ensure local radiation protection and monitoring systems are implemented effectively
- Design a strategy for implementing the new or revised local radiation management plans that identifies key people, recommended approaches and available resources.
- Provide information about radiation protection and monitoring equipment and procedures to relevant personnel and confirm they understand their responsibilities.
- Confirm that prescribed radiation signs and safety communication systems, including noticeboards, are maintained in good condition and are readily visible.
- Design appropriate audit tools and audit plans.
- Conduct audits of radiation protection and monitoring systems, equipment and safety performance in accordance with agreed audit plans.
- Analyse audit information to identify non-conformances and opportunities for improvements.
- Produce audit reports that clearly define actions required to correct non-conformances.
- Record findings, actions and outcomes in accordance with regulator requirements and organisational procedures.
- Investigate and rectify local safety, quality and non-compliance issues
- Investigate atypical dose results with reference to radiation safety key performance indicators.
- Examine defects or changes in work practices and equipment, and hazards that could increase exposure of personnel or present an environmental risk at local level, and determine appropriate controls.
- Analyse instances of potential or actual non-compliance and re-design work practices and procedures to prevent recurrence.
- Identify opportunities and strategies to further improve the organisation's radiation protection and monitoring systems.
- Implement authorised corrective and preventative actions.
- Record recommendations, actions and outcomes in accordance with regulator requirements and organisational procedures.
- Inform radiation safety officer management or licensee about radiation protection and safety
- Provide regular status reports, including details of instances of potential or actual non-compliance, or incidents/accidents and the actions taken.
- Provide regular information about the adequacy of radiation management plans and protection and monitoring systems, and recommend improvements.
- Obtain authorisation for significant equipment purchases.
- Obtain authorisation for corrective and preventative actions in accordance with organisational procedures.
- Advise the organisation when input from external radiation specialists is required.
- Promote a radiation safety culture
- Assess the competency of personnel to safely undertake specific radiation-related work activities and make appropriate recommendations to the responsible person.
- Access or develop learning and development programs that meet organisational and regulator requirements.
- Deliver, or arrange for the delivery of, training that meets the identified needs of personnel.
- Communicate effectively the need to make doses as low as reasonably achievable.
- Manage information about radiation protection and safety
- Specify all information that must be recorded and secured and advise relevant personnel.
- Control access to records in accordance with organisational procedures.
- Provide reports in accordance with regulator requirements and organisational procedures.
- Maintain and secure records, and provide advice on improvements to record management.
- Respond to potential or actual radiation incidents or accidents
- Recognise unusual situations, unexpected hazards, and potential or actual emergency radiation incidents.
- Inform relevant personnel about the situation, hazard or incident and seek their advice as necessary.
- Assist emergency response personnel to control the situation in accordance with instructions, radiation management plans and organisation's response procedures.